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Y nJ; A. LQGKE. DRESSER FOOT LIFTING DEVICE FOR SEWING MAGHINBS;

No. 424,010. Patented Mar. 25,1890.

UNITED STATES PATENT. Gr mes,

JESSE A. LOOKE,-OF MILFORD, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR or TWO-TI-IIRDS TO THOMAS P. WILKINSON, OF SAME PLACE, AND FREDERICK S. SHEPHERD, OF NEW YORK, N. Y. 1 t

PRESSER-FOOT-LIFTING DEVICE FOR SEWING-MACHINES.-

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 424,010, dated March 25, 1890.

Application filed November 12, 1889. Serial No. 330,049- (No model.)

To all whom it may concern: monly employed for sewing straw braid, it Be it known that I, J EssE A. LOCKE, of Milhaving at its front end nearest the operator ford, county of Vvorcester, State of Massaany usual separator (not shown) for the braid, chusetts, have invented an Improvement in the edge of the overlapping braid resting Presser-Foot-Lifting Devices for Sewing-Maagainst the guide a, carried by the presserchines, of which the following description, in foot, all as in the said patent.

connection with the accompanying drawing, The presser-foot bar near its upper end has is a specification, like letters on the drawing a stud or projection 1), between which and the p g 11156 p rts. bearing 19, in which the presser-foot bar rises 10 In the manufacture of head-covering from and falls, I have interposed a lifting wedgebraid upon a sewing-machine it is customary bar 5 having a lip or shoulder 20 to prevent to lift the presser-foot automatically when the it from being drawn out from under the profeed is to take place, especially when the cirj ection b, the said wedge being jointed at b cular part of the covering, called-the tip, is to a vertical lever 19, pivoted at b on the over- 15 being started; but in practice I find that bethanging arm of the frame-work, thelower end ter results may be attained by lifting the of the said lever havingasuitable hand-piece presser-foot to a point at which it will prob bent toward the operator and lying near duce but little, if any, friction on the braid the level of the cloth-plate A so that the opand keep it elevated while the tip is being erator with but a slight movement of the hand 20 made, and so, also, by lifting the presser-foot may engage the said handle and turn the two braids can be connected end to en d,which lower end of the said lever toward the rear cannot be well done on straw-braid machines end of the machine, as represented by dotted as now made, unless the operator reaches over lines, whenever it is desired to lift the presserthe machine and lifts the presser-foot by the foot and relieve its pressure from the braid 25 usual presser-foot-elevating lever. lying upon the cloth-plate A which it is nec- I do not herein claim, broadly, a presseressary to do when the top or center of the foot lifter; but prior to my invention I am not crown of a hat or bonnet is being stitched,or aware that a presser-foot lifter made as a when the two ends of apiece of straw or other wedge and arranged at the back of the mabraid are abutted together to be stitched.

o chine has ever been connected with a verti- The upper inclined side of the wedge when cal lever having a handle located near the .moved from the full-line into its dotted-line bed-plate and readily accessible to the hand position actsto lift the presser-barandpresserof the operator while guiding and manipufoot, the distance to which the presser-footis lating the work. lifted depending upon the extent of move- 3 5 The drawing in elevation representsa suffiment of the said wedge, the presser-foot becient portion of the rear side of a straw-bra'iding lifted more or less, according to the thicksewing machine of usual construction to enness of the braid being stitched. able my invention to be understood. In practice the presser-foot will be lifted The drawing represents my improvement and retained lifted at a distance above the 40 applied to a straw-braid-sewing machine, subcloth-plate just sufficient to receive the braid o stantially such as represented in United to be stitched, it being kept in such position States Patent No. 218,413. until after the tip has been formed, when the In the drawing, A represents the construcpresser-foot will be allowed to descend upon tional frame-work of the machine. A is supthe material, it being kept down thereon by 45 posedto represent the cloth-plate, upon which the action of the usual spring 0. the braid to be sewed rests; A the usual Prior to my invention, as in said patent, a hook-shaft; A, the usual cam for operating straw-braid-sewing machine has been prothe feed; A a link; A, the 11eedl6-b2t1"&(3t11- vided with a vibrator to automatically lift the ating arm; A the needlebar; A the presserpresser-foot a definite distance while the tip 50 foot bar, and A the usual presser-foot comis being made; but in practice I have found that the tip can be better and more readily made by lifting the presser-foot just high enough to touch the top of the uppermost braid, whatever may be the thickness of the two layers of the braid and keeping it in such position while the tip is being made and while any piecing is being done, during which times the braid is not subjected to any friction to stretch it out of shape or tend to retard the movement of braid when it is being shaped.

I am aware that the presser-bar of a sewing-machine has been surrounded by a camshaped collar, rotation of which lifts the presser-foot; but the handle of the cam has always been located at the rear side of the machine, where it can be reached only by considerable efiort on the part of the operator, and the cam is not so shaped as to leave the presser foot in any desired location. The friction of the lever b on the stud b is sulficient to aid in keeping it in adjusted position.

I do not desire to limit my invention to the exact shape of the lip or shoulder to pre vent the wedge from being wholly withdrawn {31'0111 under the projection 12 of the presser- I claim- 1. The combination, with the presser-foot, the presser-bar having a stud or projection 12,

a lifting-wedge b and a lip or shoulder to prevent the wedge from being withdrawn from under said projection b, of a pivoted lever, to which the said lifting-w edge isjointed, thesaid lever terminating at one side of but near the cloth-plate in position to be readily engaged by the operator when it is desired to place the presser-foot at any determined level and retain it there for a number of stitches, for the purposes set forth.

2. The combination, with the presser-foot, the presser-bar having a stud or projection, and the presser-bar-lifting wedge 12 of apivoted lever, to which the said lifting-wedge is jointed, said lever terminating at one side of but near the cloth-plate in position to be readily engaged by the operator when it is desired to place the presser-foot at any determined level and retain it there for a desired length of time, as and for the purposes set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JESSE A. LOCKE.

Witnesses:

J. H. ROBINSON, A. N. DARLING. 

